Hello, Hello!! Oh my, there is so much to say. But you've all waited so patiently for my promised 'reveal' and so I'll get right to that, and save the rest for tomorrow. Go ahead and grab yourself some tea/wine (you choose), as this is destined to be a long, rambly, spewy sort of post. My apologies.
This has been a frequent scene in my life in the past six months. I've been spending far less time in my studio, and more time in my local library and favorite coffee shops. I've been spending less time with my Bernina love, and more time with my Mac love. Have you figured it out yet? Yes, my friends, I've been writing a book.
The story begins like this (you did know you were getting the whole story, right?): Last February, Steve and I were having one of those 'where are we going?' kind of life discussions. You know the ones. Dreams. Plans. Goals. And we hatched this idea of a project geared towards families wanting to live a more creative, connected life with their children. Like us, and all of you, and so many more people out there doing the best we can and wanting to do more. We made a plan and set aside some time for me to figure out where to go with this idea - another blog? a zine? newsletter? a book? And then amazingly, as life seems to do, just two days later I received an inquiry from an editor about a book project on creative family living, asking if I had any interest. Um, yes. Yes, yes, yes.
So the spring was spent working on a book proposal, getting an agent, and a contract with Shambhala Publications (a perfect fit for me if there ever was one). Then, the summer was spent writing, creating and photographing projects for the book, and writing some more (all in between many a trip to the beach. But you already knew that part). My deadline for the manuscript was, well, yesterday. Yesterday! This whole experience has been a huge long-time dream come true, and at the same time, surely one of the hardest things I've ever done. I've still got a bit of photography and editing ahead of me, but I'm really really relieved to have this big part done. A lot of things in our lives have had to slide to the back burner to make this happen, and I'm very very happy to return my attention there. And speaking of things that have had to 'slide', I must say now (and I'll say it again and again), as completely dorky as this sounds, this would never have happened without the help of sooo very many people. Helpful Friends. Loving Family. Patient and Forgiving Children. And most of all an amazing husband, partner and friend all rolled into one (seriously. he's kick-ass).
But I'm getting ahead of myself. You want to know about the book! The book! Which has yet to have a confirmed title (you'll be among the first to know), is about creative and inspired family living. It's full of over 50 projects, activities and ideas for leading a more full and creative life with our children. Not just 'another kids craft book', I hope it goes deeper - to emphasize the meaningful connections that happen when we create together as a family; and the importance of nurturing the creative spirits of our children and ourselves. There's a focus on nature and celebrating the seasons, resourceful living, and mindfulness as a parent, as well as creating beyond our homes and into our communities. There will be my full-color photography throughout the book, as well as illustrations by a wonderful Portland (Maine) artist, Betsy Thompson. The book will be published in January '08 (yes, '08, it's really not that far away).
To wrap this up, I want to say Thank You to YOU. This book partly came about because of this little blog, and so I have yet another reason to be grateful for it, and for you, for reading each and every day. I'll be glad to share here some of the more exciting steps towards the publication of the book. But I also hope you know that nothing will really change around here - this blog isn't going to suddenly be about selling my book. It's just another piece of my life at the moment that I'm honored to now be able to share with you!
